Philodendron ‘Painted Lady’

Painted Lady’s link to a 1976 McColley hybrid

Painted Lady has long been connected with a Robert H. McColley climbing hybrid from ‘Burgundy’ and ‘Emerald Queen’, developed in 1976. That breeding line carries the combination of red stems, curled leaf sheaths and mottled yellow-green foliage seen in the cultivar.

The Painted Lady name and its defining colour pattern were established in specialist cultivation by 2005.

Care for supported climbing aroids

• Early training: Add a firm vertical support before the stem becomes long and awkward to position. Fasten the vine until its aerial roots make reliable contact.
• Watering: As the upper substrate begins to dry, wet the pot evenly and let surplus escape. A coarse blend should hold moisture without collapsing around the roots.
• Leaf sheaths and feeding: Warmth, even humidity and air movement around the leaf sheaths helps prevent lingering dampness. Supply a mild feed while the stem is growing.
• Repotting and cuttings: Repot Philodendron ‘Painted Lady’ when roots press against the pot or the support begins to wobble. A single-node or longer stem cutting can produce a new vine if it includes a healthy bud.

Problems and solutions for Philodendron ‘Painted Lady’

• Wet lesions: Isolate the Philodendron ‘Painted Lady’ when soft damage enlarges instead of drying. Avoid wetting the leaves, clean tools after contact and propagate only firm nodes that show no symptoms.
• Declining roots: Wilting in moist mix calls for a root check. Discard dead roots and repot into fresh, open mix.
• Scarred new leaves: Thrips damage made inside a rolled blade may appear as trails or distorted patches with black specks. Mites cause finer stippling and sometimes webbing. Treat the protected tip, lower surfaces and nodes when a pest is confirmed.
• Red curled sheaths: The bright red stem, petiole and persistent curled sheath are normal. Inspect beneath old curls for thrips, mealybugs or scale without treating the sheath itself as webbing or rot.
• Long weak sections: Poor light or missing support contact can lengthen the gaps between nodes and reduce leaf size. Stabilise the vine and increase light gradually.

Philodendron ‘Painted Lady’ is toxic to people and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its leaves and stems contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which can irritate the mouth, throat, skin and eyes.
• Chewing may cause burning pain, drooling, swelling, vomiting or difficulty swallowing. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional after exposure, especially if swelling or breathing problems occur.

When was Philodendron first published, and what does it mean?

Philodendron combines Greek philein, meaning “to love,” with dendron, meaning “tree.”

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established the genus Philodendron in 1829 in Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode, volume 3, page 780.